Apparatus for cleaning wire



0%@ W9 1929- A DE GRAAFF 1,731,843

VAPPARATUS FOR CLEANING WIRE Filed June 1, 1922 Patented Oct. 15, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANTONIUS DE GRAAFF, OF EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, A COR- PORATION 0F NEW YORK APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WIRE Application liled June 1, 1922, Serial No. 565,279, and in theNetherIands Jnne 10, 19271.

This invention relates to the cleaning of wire and more especially of Wire used as filaments or supports in incandescent electric lamps.

When drawing wire for incandescent lamps, it is customary to use a lubricant containing carbon and unless the Wire is cleaned it has a thin coating of the residue of lubricant sometimes mixed with oxides; this coating has a bad effect on the quality of the lamp, especially in gas-filled lamps.

If a lubricant containing graphite is used vin drawing tungsten wire, the graphite, ow- .ing to the high temperatures inseparable from the drawing process is burnt into the Moreover the ob surface of the wire and forms an adherent coating which is very dicult to remove. Up to thepresent time the Wire has usually been cleaned by scouringit for some time in a bath of sand and boiling potash.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide means by which this adherent coatin may be easil and quickly removed rom rawn wire of t e size commonly used in making incandescent lamps.

According to my invention. the layer of lubricant is also first loosened by passing the wire through a boiling bath containing a solution of sodium phos hate, potash or caustic soda or mixtures o these solutions. Ac'- cording to the invention the wire is then assed through a scouring device referably etween two or more scouring rol s, turning on axes which make an acute angle with the direction of the wire. These rolls preferably roate slowly about three revolutions per niioute; in a direction opposite tothe movement oi the wire and are kept moist by water While the dirty water is led away. The rolls may be provided with scouring surfaces preferably by being covered with chamois-leather, rubber, closely-woven woolen cloth or the like. j

In carrying my invention into practice but little force is retuired for feeding the'wire. ique position of the rollers makes the cuttin of grooves in their surfaces impossible. No 'reakageisto be feared, even when iine wires are treated, and the coating is completely removed in a very short time.

In the accompanying drawing one form of the invention 1s illustrated; numerous im -provements and alterations are ,possible however which would come within the scope of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a top-plan View of the two rolls, Fig. 3 shows a modified arrangement of the two rolls, while Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views on an enlarged scale showing the rolls covered with cloth, rubber. and leather respectively.

In Fig. 1 the uncleaned Wire 1 on the reel 2 is led over pulleys 3, 4 and 5, through a picklin@ tank 6, containing a hot, and preferably tboiling solution of lye, potash or a similar substance, for the purpose of loosening the layer of lubricant. v

The wire then passes via a pulley 7 along and against the top of a roll 8, which preferably rotates in a direction opposite to the movement of the wire, and which is kept Wet as fully to be described herein-after; the wire then rubs against the lower surface of a roll 9, which preferably rotates in a direction oposite to that of roll 8. Both rolls are driven y the same source of power 10, by means of a belt 11 and gears 12 and 13.

The roll 9 is constantly kept Wet by pouring liquid onto it out of a nozzle 14, the supply to which can be regulated in any suitable manner. The liquid coming from the roll 9 ows into a Hat tank 15, in which the roll 8 rotates and out of which the Vrliquid Hows away through an opening in the wall. This manner of moistening the rolls is very advuntageous because the roll that takes away the last lparticles of dirt, is always moistened with frcs liquid.

'l When the wire leaves roll 9, it passes over a ulley 17 to a reel 18 and is now ready for use. he reel 18 is also driven by the same driving means 10 by means of a belt 19.

The rolls are preferably so positioned that:

1st. The wire does not merely touch the surface of the rollin a sing-le point but is in contact with its surface over a considerable are (see Fig. 3)

2nd..The axes of, the rolls make an acute al)1gle With the direction of the wire (see Fig.

These factors are so chosen. as to make the rubbing surface of the rolls as great as possible. This oblique position also prevents the Wire from cutting into the rolls.

By so lpositioning the rolls an ideal scouring is obtained, the wire being exposed to a scrubbing operation in the longitudinal direction, a rubbing operation in the transverse direction and a slight rolling movement over the surface of the rolls owing to the fact that it is entrained to va certain extent by these latter.

The wire treated in this manner is much cleaner than the wire previously used, which often has a dull and dead appearance; by the present treatment all traces of the lubricant are removed and the wire has a metallic pol,- ished appearance.

Lamps with the wire as heretofore cleaned, give an increase of from 4-10'70 in lighting po.wer during the first few hours owing to the modifications taking place in the surface of the wire, but lamps made with wire cleaned `according to the present invention do not show any perceptible cha-nge.

This increase 1n llghting power of the wire formerly use d, was very variable, owing to the varying efficiency of the processes for cleaning the wire from the residues of lubricant.

The wire cleaned in accordance with the present lnvention 1s uniform and enables the process of manufacture to be controlled.

The increase of lighting power must be avoided as much as possible, for when a special initial wattage per candle power is adopted and this value changes during burning from 4-10%, a decrease in life of Q5-50% is the result.

A further advantage of the new invention is that the wire can pass through the apparat-us continuously at al velocity of 100-15() metres per minute.

What I claim is:

across the path of and against the direction of movement of the wire.

3. In a wire cleaning apparatus, the e'ombination with feed mechanism for moving a wire longitudinally along a predetermined path, of a wire scouring device comprising a pair of scouring rolls mounted adjacent to andon opposite sides of the path of movement of the wire to bring them into contact with the =wire and to rotate about axes oblique to said path, and actuating means for drivinfr said feed mechanism and rotating said rolls.

4. In a wire cleaning apparatus, the com` bination with feed mechamsm for holding a wire taut and moving it longitudinally along a predetermined path, of a wire scouring device comprisin an open tank adjacent and below said pat, a scouring roll mounted in position to engage the wire passing over said tank and to turn in the liquid in the tank, a second scouring roll mounted above said tank and adjacent said path to engage the wire, both said rolls being rotatable on axes oblique to said path means for causing a stream of liquid to flow over said second roll into said ltank, and common actuating means for driving said feed mechanism to move the wire and snnultaneously rotate said rolls.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

ANTONIUS Du GRAAFF.

1. In a wire cleaning apparatus, the combination with feed mechanism for moving a wire longitudinally along a predetermined path, of a Wire scouring device comprising a Y movable scouring member mounted adjacent the path of the wire to engage the wire, and means for moving said member to cause its scouring surface to move obliquely across the path of 'and against the direction of movement of the Wire.

' 2. In a Wire cleaning apparatus, the combination with feed mechanism for moving a 

